Monday, April 30, 2018

TOE, Theory of Everything - title pages A

[The daily Blogs previously presented here were duplicates of the same posted at a Word – Press site cited below, & those will continue at that site. Here for a time, pages from the first PDF, offered below also, "T0E Theory of Everything" will appear from half a decade ago's fanciful & playful mixed bag of Science & Philosophy.]

"There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth."– the "no creation" school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome–Ajata Vada

Sunday, April 29, 2018

Mind & Happiness 25

That which thus mistakes this Body to be "I" is our Mind. Our Mind comes into existence only by imagining itself to be a Body. In Deep Dreamless Sleep we are unaware of either our Mind or our Body. As soon as we wake up, our Mind rises feeling "I am the Body", "I am called so-&-so," & only after thus identifying itself as a particular Body does it perceive the external World through the 5 Senses of that Body.

Exactly the same thing happens in Dream – our Mind identifies itself as a particular Body & through the 5 Senses of that Body it perceives a seemingly real & external World. When we wake up from a Dream, we understand that the Body we mistook to be "I" & the World we mistook to be real & external were both in fact only figments of our imagination. Thus from our experience in Dream we all know that our Mind has a wonderful power of imagination by which it is able to create a Body, to mistake that imaginary Body to be "I" & through that Body (via the Senses) to project a World which, at the Time we perceive it, appears to be every bit as real & external to us as the World that we now perceive in this Waking State. Knowing that our Mind possesses this wonderful power of creation & self-deception, is it not reasonable for us to suspect that the Body we take to be "I" & the World we take to be real in our present Waking state may in fact be nothing more than a mere imagination or mental projection, just like the Body & World that we experience in Dream ?

What evidence do we have that the Body & World we experience in this Waking state are anything other than a creation of our own Mind ? We may be able to point out certain differences between Waking & Dream, but on analysis we will discover that those differences are superficial, "existence" concerned with quality or quantity rather than with substance.

If we compare the World drama we see in Waking or Dream to a drama we see on a cinema screen, we may say that the drama seen in Waking is a better quality & more impressive production than that seen in Dream, but both are productions none the less – productions not of some external agency but of our Mind which sees them.

In substance, there is no essential difference between our experience in Waking & that in Dream. In both states our Mind rises, attaching itself to a Body by taking it to be "I" & through the Senses of that Body it sees a World bound within the limits of Time & Space, & filled with numerous people & other objects, both sentient & insentient, all of which it is convinced are real. How can we prove to our self that what we experience in the Waking state exists at all outside our own imagination, any more than a Dream exists outside our Imagination ?

When we carefully analyze our experience in our 3 States of Waking, Dream & Deep Dreamless Sleep, it is clear that we are able to confuse our Consciousness "I" to be different things at different Times. In the Waking State we mistake our present Body to be "I", in Dream we mistake some other imaginary Dream–Body to be "I", & in Deep Dreamless Sleep we mistake un–consciousness to be "I" – or at least on Waking from Deep Dreamless Sleep what we remember is that "I was unconscious."

What we were in fact un–conscious of in Deep Dreamless Sleep was our Mind, our Body & the World, but not our own Existence. Our experience in Deep Dreamless Sleep was not that we ceased to exist, but only that we ceased to be aware of all the thoughts & perceptions that we are accustomed to experiencing in the Waking & Dream States.

"There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth."– the "no creation" school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome –Ajata Vadafor very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see: www.ajatavada.com/

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Reality 102Ego [further continued from sometime past]

Spiritual instruction should not be interpreted so as to say that the Ego is really Born or that the Self actually gave birth to it. The Ego cannot be self-produced. To imagine so would be to suppose its pre-existence, which is absurd & which would lead to the consequent question as to what caused that pre-existent Ego ?

This in turn would lead either to the Delusion regarding the Effects causing the Cause or modification in the eternally common, changeless Self, which possibilities have already been negated by Self-Inquiry. Or else it would lead to an infinite regression. But the Self alone is Infinite, & Causality is not Real. One cannot actually recall when this Ego, the root of maya, began, was created or was born, though there is knowledge of Perpetual Existence, which is of the Self alone. Never was there a time when you are not, & never will there be a time when you will cease to be. [Similar to Bhagavad-Gita quote]

Thus the Self is ever the Un-born – neither coming from another State or thing, nor giving birth to any – & Ego is also "unborn" in the sense that it never comes to be. This may be regarded as the final significance of Ramana Maharshi's Self-Inquiry as to: "Whence am I ?" This is graciously given to show the method of tracing inwardly from the Identity, where the Identity of "I" derives, as well as: "Who am I ?"

How can there be the Ego's Effect (Delusion), as the supposed Cause itself is never come to be ? The Ego is an assumption. Who assumes this assumption ? No one. Who knows the Knowledge of the Self ? The Ego I cannot know the Self, since the Self alone is capable of knowing. The "I" is inert, & the "known" is a mere notion, a vacuous imagining, an assumption that is non-existent. There is no Ego to be ignorant or to be bound, to attempt to know the Self, or to return to It, or to unite with It. The Self is what you are, & It is innately Ego-less. Let this is Ego-less Knowledge of the Self abide. Let the Knowledge of the Non-Dual, In-divisible Nature of the Self, the only true "I", in which there is never an individual–"I" – that true "I" alone exists.

The above themes & 1600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Friday, April 27, 2018

Mind & Happiness 24

That which thus mistakes this Body to be "I" is our Mind. Our Mind comes into existence only by imagining itself to be a Body. In Deep Dreamless Sleep we are unaware of either our Mind or our Body. As soon as we wake up, our Mind rises feeling "I am the Body", "I am called so-&-so," & only after thus identifying itself as a particular Body does it perceive the external World through the 5 Senses of that Body.

Exactly the same thing happens in Dream – our Mind identifies itself as a particular Body & through the 5 Senses of that Body it perceives a seemingly real & external World. When we wake up from a Dream, we understand that the Body we mistook to be "I" & the World we mistook to be real & external were both in fact only figments of our imagination.

Thus from our experience in Dream we all know that our Mind has a wonderful power of imagination by which it is able to create a Body, to mistake that imaginary Body to be "I" & through that Body (via the Senses) to project a World which, at the Time we perceive it, appears to be every bit as real & external to us as the World that we now perceive in this Waking State. Knowing that our Mind possesses this wonderful power of creation & self-deception, is it not reasonable for us to suspect that the Body we take to be "I" & the World we take to be real in our present Waking state may in fact be nothing more than a mere imagination or mental projection, just like the Body & World that we experience in Dream ?

What evidence do we have that the Body & World we experience in this Waking state are anything other than a creation of our own Mind ? We may be able to point out certain differences between Waking & Dream, but on analysis we will discover that those differences are superficial, "existence" concerned with quality or quantity rather than with substance.

If we compare the World drama we see in Waking or Dream to a drama we see on a cinema screen, we may say that the drama seen in Waking is a better quality & more impressive production than that seen in Dream, but both are productions none the less – productions not of some external agency but of our Mind which sees them.

In substance, there is no essential difference between our experience in Waking & that in Dream. In both states our Mind rises, attaching itself to a Body by taking it to be "I", & through the Senses of that Body it sees a World bound within the limits of Time & Space, & filled with numerous people & other objects, both sentient & insentient, all of which it is convinced are real. How can we prove to our self that what we experience in the Waking state exists at all outside our own imagination, any more than a Dream exists outside our Imagination ?

When we carefully analyze our experience in our 3 States of Waking, Dream & Deep Dreamless Sleep, it is clear that we are able to confuse our Consciousness "I" to be different things at different Times. In the WakingState we mistake our present Body to be "I", in Dream we mistake some other imaginary Dream–Body to be "I", & in Deep Dreamless Sleep we mistake un–consciousness to be "I" – or at least on Waking from Deep Dreamless Sleep what we remember is that "I was unconscious."

What we were in fact un–conscious of in Deep Dreamless Sleep was our Mind, our Body & the World, but not our own Existence. Our experience in Deep Dreamless Sleep was not that we ceased to exist, but only that we ceased to be aware of all the thoughts & perceptions that we are accustomed to experiencing in the Waking & Dream States.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole
occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

Thursday, April 26, 2018

The Knowledge of Existence is fundamentally unlike all other Knowledge because it is not a Knowledge that involves doing anything. It is a Knowledge of not of doing but of non-doing – a Knowledge of just Existence.

The state of just Existence is one in which our Mind does not rise to do, think or know anything, yet it is a state of full Consciousness – Consciousness not of anything else but only of Existence. The skill that is to be learnt in this Knowledge is not simply the skill to exist – because we always exist & therefore require no special skill or effort to exist – nor is it merely the skill to exist without doing or thinking anything – because we are able to exist so each day in Deep Dreamless Sleep. The skill to be cultivated is the skill to remain calmly & peacefully without doing or thinking anything, but nevertheless retaining a perfectly clear Consciousness of Existence – that is, Consciousness of our own Existence or essential "am"-ness. Only in this pristine state of clear Non-Dual Self–Conscious Existence, unclouded by the distracting agitation of thought & action, will the True Nature of Existence become perfectly clear, obvious, self–evident & free from even the least scope for doubt or confusion.

Our first & most direct experience of Existence is that of our own Existence. First we know that we exist, & then only can we know of the existence of other things. But whereas our own Existence is Self-Conscious, the existence of each other thing depends on us to be known.

We know our own Existence because we are Consciousness. In other words, our Existence is itself the Consciousness that knows itself. It knows itself because it is essentially Self-Conscious. Thus it is reasonable to hypothesize that Consciousness is the primal & essential form of Existence. Without Consciousness, Existence would be unknown, & without Existence, Consciousness would not exist.

Our Existence & our Consciousness of Existence are inseparable – in fact they are identical – & both are expressed by the single phrase "I exist". This Existence-Consciousness, "I exist", is our most fundamental experience, & the most fundamental experience of every sentient Existence.

"I exist" is the one basic Consciousness – the essential Non-Dual Self-Consciousness – without which nothing would be known. "I exist" is therefore the source & foundation of all knowledge.

What then is the use of knowing anything else if we do not know the Truth of our own Existence-Consciousness, our Self-Consciousness, "I exist", on the basis of which all else is known ? All that we know about the World & all that we know about God – all our sciences & all our religions – are of no real value to us if we do not know the Truth about our Self, that who desires to know the Truth about the World & God.

We are the Existence-Consciousness "I exist", yet our knowledge about this "I exist" is confused. We all believe "I am this Body", "I am a person", "I am called so-&-so, & was born on such-&-such a date at such-&-such a place." Thus we identify our Consciousness "I exist" with a particular Body.

This identification is the result of a confused & unclear knowledge of the True Nature of Consciousness. Our Consciousness "I exist" is not something material, whereas our Body is merely a bundle of physical matter, which is not inherently conscious. Yet somehow we are deluded into mistaking this material Body to be our Consciousness "I". As a result of our unclear knowledge of Consciousness, we mistake matter to be conscious, & Consciousness to be something material.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through www.jpstiga.com

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Reality 101Ego [continued from sometime past]

If the Ego were an attribute of the Self, the Ego would be Eternal, in which case all Liberation, all Scriptures, all spiritual life, all spiritual practice, all sayings of Sages, & such would be futile & false. This would be absurd. It is better to give up the notion of the Ego than to hold to it as alone being Real.

The Ego is not a temporary quality of the Self. The Truth cannot be like the case of an unripe fruit becoming a ripe fruit, in which there would be 2 stages, or States for the Self, one with an Ego & one without. The Existence of the Self is Absolute & unchanging. If the Ego were ever the Existence, as part of it, or sharing in it in any way whatsoever, Existence would be changeful & transitory & would cease to exist. Existence is always Ego-less & has no Ego quality whatsoever.

And where is the Ego ? It is not in the World, which is unreal & it is not in the Body, which is unreal & not the Self. It is not in the Senses, which is unreal & not the Self. It is not in thought, which is unreal & not the Self. It is not in the flawless, unmodified, perfect Self. The Ego is never actually experienced by itself & is not actually experienced in any of these. The Ego dwells nowhere.

The Ego is not a thing in itself, does not reside anywhere, & is not inherent in anything. The remaining possibility is that it's supposed "existence" is an effect produced by something else. The Ego is not produced by the World, the Body, the Senses, the Life–Force prana, or the Mind. These produce phenomena, sensations, physical, subtle & mental experiences, & thoughts. These appear after the Ego is differentiated, & so they cannot produce it, for the Effect does not produce a Cause.

The Ego is not produced by the Self, which is the Absolute. The Absolute Self does not produce or create at all, but ever just exists as It is. That the Ego is said to rise from the Origin, or Substrate, of the Self is expedient Teaching intended to guide those desirous of Liberation onward to the Origin, the one Substrate, in order to realize its Ego-less Nature.

The above themes & 1600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Mind & Happiness 22

Happiness lies deep within us, in the very core of our Existence. Happiness does not exist in any external object, but only in us, who are the Consciousness that experiences Happiness. Though we seem to derive Happiness from external objects or experiences, the Happiness that we thus enjoy in fact arises from within us.

Whatever turmoil our Mind may be in, in the Center of our Existence there always exists a state of perfect peace & joy, like the calm in the eye of a storm. Desire & fear agitate our Mind, & obscure from its view the Happiness that always exists within it. When a desire is satisfied, or the
cause of a fear is removed, the surface agitation of our Mind subsides, & in that temporary calm, our Mind enjoys a taste of its own innate Happiness.

Happiness is thus a state of Existence – a state in which our Mind’s habitual agitation is calmed. The activity of our Mind disturbs it from its calm state of just Existence, & causes it to lose sight of its own innermost Happiness. To enjoy Happiness, therefore, all our Mind need do is to cease all activity, returning calmly to its natural state of inactive Existence, as it does daily in Deep Dreamless Sleep.
Therefore to master the Knowledge of being happy, we must master the Knowledge of just Existence. We must discover what the innermost core of our Existence is, & we must learn to abide consciously & constantly in that state of pure Existence, which underlies & supports (but nevertheless remains unaffected by) all the superficial activities of our Mind: thinking, feeling & perceiving, remembering & forgetting, & so on.

The Knowledge of just Existence, remaining fully conscious but without any activity of the Mind, is not only Knowledge – a practical skill that can be cultivated & applied to produce an experience of inexpressible beauty & joy – but also an attempt to acquire true Knowledge by keen observation & rigorous experiment. And this Knowledge of Existence is not only the Knowledge of Happiness, but also the Knowledge of Consciousness, & Self-Knowledge.

The Knowledge of Existence is incredibly simple & clear. To the human Mind, however, it may appear to be complex & abstruse, not because it is in any way complex in itself, but because the Mind which tries to comprehend it is such a complex bundle of thoughts & emotions – desires, fears, anxieties, attachments, long-cherished beliefs & preconceived ideas – that it tends to cloud the pure simplicity & clarity of Existence, making what is obvious appear to be obscure.

Like any other knowledge, the Knowledge of Existence begins with observation & analysis of something that we already know but do not fully understand, & proceeds by reasoning to formulate a plausible hypothesis that can explain what is observed, & then rigorously tests that hypothesis by precise & critical experiment. However, unlike all other Knowledge, this Knowledge does not study any object of knowledge, but instead studies the very power of Knowing itself – the power of Consciousness that underlies the Mind, the power by which all objects are known.

Hence the Truth discovered by means of this Knowledge is not something that can be demonstrated or proved objectively by one person to another. It can, however, be directly experienced as a clear Knowledge in the innermost core of each person who scrupulously pursues the necessary process of experiment till the True Nature of Existence – which is the True Nature of Consciousness, & of Happiness – is revealed in the full clarity of pure unadulterated Self-Consciousness.

Monday, April 23, 2018

Mind & Happiness 21

Since the testimony of Sages challenges us to question & doubt all the beliefs that we have cherished for so long about what we are & about the reality of our Life in this World, we may initially find it difficult to trust their words. That is why, rather than asking us to believe anything that we do not already know, Sri Ramana based his teachings upon an analysis of our own everyday experience.

When we critically analyze our experience of the 3 States of Consciousness (Waking, Dream, & Deep Dreamless Sleep) that we undergo each day, we cannot reasonably avoid doubting most of what we normally take for granted about who we are & about the reality of all that we experience in these 3 States. In order to acquire knowledge that we cannot reasonably doubt, we must first disentangle our self from all the confused & uncertain knowledge we now have about our self. Such disentanglement can be achieved only by turning our attention away from all objects of knowledge & towards our self, the Consciousness by which everything is known. This process of disentanglement is the journey of Self-Discovery that all Sages urge us to undertake.

The purpose of this philosophical analysis of our everyday experience of our self is only to enable us to obtain a clear theoretical understanding of who we really are, & thereby to ascertain the practical means by which we can attain direct experience of our own Real Nature. Though in this journey of self-discovery we will be guided by the revelations of Sri Ramana & other Sages, we will nevertheless be relying primarily upon our own personal experience of our Existence or Consciousness, & thus we will as far as possible avoid the need to rely upon belief in what we our self do not actually know.

If we take this journey depending always upon our own experience of our self as our guide, we will be able to verify for our self the Truth of all that has been revealed through the words of Sages, who have taken this journey before us. However, while we are proceeding on this journey of Self-Discovery, & before we complete it, we are likely to discover that our rational analysis of our already existing experience of our own Existence & Consciousness, together with our experience of practicing the art of Self-Conscious Existence, will inspire in our Mind a steadily increasing trust in the words of Sages.
Such trust should not be mistaken to be mere "blind belief", because it is a trust born not of intellectual blindness but of a deep inner clarity of Mind gained by dwelling repeatedly upon the true light of Self-Consciousness, which ever shines in the core of our Existence, as the core of our Existence, but which till now we have always habitually ignored due to our infatuation with the external World of Sense Perceptions.

Though it is possible for us to turn our attention away from the external World & towards our own essential Consciousness "I exist" in order to discover our true nature even without our placing our trust in the words of anyone, in practice while pursuing the journey of Self-Discovery, & while confronting all the obstacles that inevitably arise on the way, we can derive much benefit by trusting & learning from the testimony of those who have taken & completed this journey before us.

We attempt to turn our attention away from the external World & towards our essential Self-Consciousness "I exist" in order to remain merely as this fundamental Consciousness of our own Existence. However, even if we are unwilling to trust anything that we do not already know for certain, we can still pursue this journey of self-discovery by taking all our doubts to their logical conclusion – by doubting the reality of our doubting Mind, & therefore turning our attention towards the Consciousness that underlies it in order to know the ultimate source from which it has arisen along with all its doubts.
We are to question critically our habitual view of our self, the World & God, & to embark upon the journey of Self-Discovery by investigating our Consciousness "I exist", which is the centered & fundamental basis of all our experience & knowledge, to verify for our self the Truth revealed in the words of Sri Ramana & other Sages.

Self-Inquiry reveals the nature of one's Existence. Existence is undeniable at any time. Even the attempt to doubt it presupposes its existence. What is that Existence ? It cannot be known objectively, that is, as an object of perception or conception. Inquire as to "Who am I ?" Negate from your sense of Identity all that is objective: the Body, senses, the life energy (prana), the Mind (inclusive of all its permutations such as cognitions, thoughts, emotions, memories, .abstract ideas, & such), & the assumption of existing as an individual being (Ego or "I" notion). That which alone remains & which can never be negated is the self-existent Self, the formless true Being, unborn & imperishable.

Self–Inquiry reveals the nature of Consciousness, itself consciousness is always present as the silent, un-changing Witness & is knowledge, itself. Inquire by negating the perceiving & conceiving, which are but mis–interpretations of Knowledge imagined within the context of dualism (such as Subject & object). By this Self­-Inquiry, come to abide in certain Knowledge, which is the Knowledge of Reality, in which there is neither knower nor known & in which Knowledge is not a function. By Self­-Inquiry, trace out that which is actually aware. It is the senses & not thoughts, & it docs not dwell in any state of Mind. By Knowledge, remove the objectified mis–identification regarding Consciousness. That which remains is the Non-Dual, infinite Consciousness, formless & eternal.

With each thought that arises, one may inquire, "For whom this" The inquirer should already know that all experience is occurring only within his own Mind. The answer to the question will invariably be, ''To me." This signifies the return of all sense of Reality & Identity simultaneously to within, to the "I." Then, one should inquire, "Who am I?" Tracing the true significance of "I," the assumption of individuality vanishes, being unreal, & the real Self alone remains, uncreated, imperishable, & One without anything else whatsoever.

Requisites signify what is necessary. Realization signifies Knowledge of What Is. One thing is necessary: to realize the Self. One thing is real: the Self, itself.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

The 4 Requisites for Realization are valuable those who are practicing Self-Inquiry. The practice of Self-Inquiry will be aided by the development of these, & the Self-Inquiry itself causes these to develop.
The Self-Inquiry uses Discrimination & causes Discrimination. Self-Inquiry is strengthened by Detachment & brings about Detachment from all that is un-real or not the Self. Peacefulness & Equanimity give the opportunity to inquire, & the Self-Inquiry results in enduring Peace & seeing all equally. Self-control allows one to direct oneself toward the Self-Inquiry, & the Self-Inquiry yields the ability to guide oneself wisely. Renunciation turns the Mind inward to inquire while dissolving the bondage to samsara, & Self-Inquiry causes one to relinquish the possession of the unreal & the mis–identification with the not–Self in light of the non–dependent nature of the Self. Fortitude enables one to consistently persevere in the Self­-Inquiry while overcoming all apparent obstacles, & the Self­-Inquiry yields the transcendent strength of the knowledge that all obstacles are unreal. Faith in the Absolute enables one to inquire with the support of true teachings & one's own inner capacity, & the Self­-Inquiry results in the certitude of the Truth of the Self. Deep, profound Meditation yields the experience of Self­-Inquiry, & Self­-Inquiry, making the Meditation profound, reveals that the formless nature of the Self is ever present & not Subject to any change or condition.

The requisites may be regarded as several or may be regarded as one whole. They will be naturally present in one immersed in the Knowledge of the Self. It may be necessary for any particular aspirant to meditate on & develop one of them, several of them, or all of them, or they may be found to be spontaneously manifesting in the aspirant as a result of the practice of Self-Inquiry. It is for the seeker to examine himself & observe which need growth or deepening. They are all within the context of Knowledge & the path of Knowledge to realize the Self Basic Meditations to foster these requisites are briefly stated here in the description of each requisite. Actual practice will, itself, reveal the actual experience with precision. The best way to develop practice is to practice. The best way to strengthen these requisites is to practice them. The best way to deepen the Self­-Inquiry is to actually inquire.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Friday, April 20, 2018

Reality 98: Self-Inquiry– (Atma Vichara) [contnued]

Sri Ramana Maharshi summed up Self-Inquiry in the concise phrase, "Who am I ?" He stated that the seeker of Self-Realization could directly realize Liberation from the un-real bondage by Self-Inquiry, with each experience & notion, "For whom is this ?" This approach negates the Identity or Reality from the objective aspect & returns it to that which is inward, the Subject. Then, recognizing that whatever it is, it is for "me". one should Self-Inquire, "Who am I ?" This is the inner discerning of the True Nature of one's Being, which is to be practiced with a keen awareness. The determination of the answer to the Self-Inquiry cannot be in sensorial or conceptual terms, but is realized by the elimination of all definition, the dissolution of confusion regarding Reality, & the destruction of the Ego. Self-Inquiry reveals the invalid nature of all personal definitions, the Formless nature of Reality, & that the Ego is nothing but a false assumption whose nature is non–existence. When all that is un-real, not the Self, is removed, the Real Self alone remains in its own Knowledge of itself – Self-Knowledge, which is devoid of such differentiation as the Knower, the Knowing,, & the Known.

The Self­-Inquiry is the essential practice. The success of any spiritual practice in yielding freedom & Peace is directly proportionate to the relinquishment of misidentification, the dissolution of the Ego or false notion of individuality, that occurs in it. Self-Inquiry may be practiced by itself as the direct means to Self-Knowledge, a way that does not include any of the dualism that one is attempting to transcend.

Since ancient times, instruction in the path of Knowledge has been given, &, in the course of this, certain excellent supports for Self-Inquiry have been elucidated by the wise. These are actually more than supports; rather they are integral to the whole experience of inquiring to know the Self. In Advaita Vedanta, they have been referred to as the requisites for Realization or the fourfold-sadhana (practice) for Realization or Liberation. Although one can see references to these in numerous texts in many traditions, as what they refer to are more universal than specific to a particular people, place, or time, it is Adi Sankara, who expounded the clearest teachings of Non-Duality & Self-Knowledge, known as Advaita Vedanta, who has most clearly stated them, in both brief & elaborated form, in several of the texts composed by him. During the many centuries that have followed Sri Sankara’s elucidation of Self-Knowledge, the discriminating Self­-Inquiry, & these requisites, until the present day, these practices related to the attainment of Knowledge have served aspirants well as they dissolved the illusion of ignorant dualism & its consequent bondage & suffering & realized the natural state of the Self, Brahman, which is pure Being-Consciousness-Bliss.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Reality 97: Self-Inquiry– (Atma Vichara)

Since very ancient times, seekers yearning for Self-Realization, or Enlightenment, have sought instruction to assist them. Instruction from genuine sages established in the Knowledge of the Self has generally been in 2 ways: instruction about the nature of the Self, the Absolute, & instruction regarding the way to abide in, or realize, this Supreme Knowledge. The latter forms the instruction regarding a Path or Spiritual Practice.

In the Teaching of Non-Duality, which clearly reveals the identity of the Self & the Absolute (Brahman, God), Liberation or Self­Realization is recognized to be of the nature of Self-Knowledge. A Path of Knowledge results in Self-Knowledge, & the primary method of the Path is that of Self-Inquiry. The Self-Inquiry is the introspection, or Meditation, that ascertains in the most experiential manner what it is of which one's true Identity consists. It is the Self-Revelation of the nature of Being, or Consciousness itself, un-obscured by any definition or mis­identification. Questing inwardly as to "Who am I ?" one realizes one's true state of Non-Dual Existence, which is ever free, ever at Peace, un-changing, without modifications, Illimitable, Timeless, Indivisible, forever unconditioned, Formless, Un-Differentiated – the One Reality.

In practice, the actual Self-Inquiry, itself, involves the relinquishment of the false super-imposition of forms & attributes upon the Self. This involves the recognition of the false definition & the discernment of how it is not actually one's Identity. It is the shifting of Identity from where it has been misplaced, such as being associated with the Body or with thought, & restoring it to its natural position, which is the Self alone. It is the ceasing of the confusion regarding what is Real & what is unreal, so that the erroneous attribution of Reality to the un-reality, such as conceiving the World, objects, events, sensations, & thoughts to be Real or to be the means of determining what is Real, is relinquished.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Reality 96: Desire for Liberationmumukshutva [further continued]

The Desire for Liberation arises within all who consider the facts of life & death, who see the futility of Worldly life, who observe the sufferings created by ignorance, who comprehend that they can truly be free, who understand that there is a state of complete freedom & Peace in which delusion & suffering are no more, & who are convinced that they can find this for themselves. The rise of the Desire for Liberation depends on the settled conclusion that the external World, inclusive of other people, objects (or lack of the same), wealth, fame (personal acceptance or popularity), reputation, situations, & other phenomenal conditions are in no way the cause of suffering or Happiness.

The Desire for Liberation has never been an obstacle for anyone, though lack of Desire for Liberation has caused the stagnation of many. The Desire for Liberation prompts the Self­-Inquiry to know the Self & causes one to discern what Liberation actually is.

Ignorance alone is the cause of bondage, & bondage alone is suffering. If there is suffering, there will be the concomitant desire to be happy, to eliminate that suffering, because misery is contrary to our nature. If there is the clear perception of the cause of suffering being one's delusive bondage, there will be the Desire for Liberation. If there is the understanding that bondage is only mis–identification or ignorance, there will be the Desire for Self-Realization, or Self-Knowledge. Ramana Maharshi has said, "Self-Inquiry into the Nature of one's Self that is in Bondage & realizing one's True Nature is moksha,Release (Liberation)."

So long as one is bound, there will be the Desire for Liberation on the part of the spiritual seeker (or the pursuit of delusive, Worldly desires by those who do not know any better). When, through the Self­-Inquiry, "Who is bound ?" one realizes the Egoless real nature of the Self which is ever free, the Desire for Liberation is fulfilled & ended. The Self was truly never bound & has no separate state of Liberation.

Then the Truth is self-evident as the only 1–without–a–2nd, without an alternative. Thus the Ramana Maharshi's statement, "Who is to realize 'what', when all that exists is only the Self?" This Truth is realized by those who desire to realize it with all their heart & not otherwise.

The Desire for Liberation is ultimately the inner yearning to Be as one truly is. Since Being is neither an object nor an activity, the practice can only be that of Knowledge. The result of the Self­-Inquiry is Knowledge identical with Being. The Desire for Liberation is the motion for the Self­-Inquiry into the Self.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Reality 95: Desire for Liberationmumukshutva [continued]

That which seems to extend between the Self & the Body, deludedly regarded as an Ego & illusorily manifesting as the Mind, gives rise to bondage. One should free oneself of that bondage, mis–identification, too. The Mind itself alone has the ignorance, as the real Self never has trace of ignorance or bondage whatsoever, & the Body has no ignorance, as well. The Mind alone has it, so it is said that the Mind should get rid of it or that one should get rid of the Mind. The Desire for Liberation arises in the Mind as the intuition of what the natural state of the Self is. This desire causes the Mind to examine itself, to relinquish its own imaginings, to destroy its own form, & to find its source or real nature.

"Indulgence of the Mind," mentioned by Sri Shankara above, is the pursuit & maintenance of the mental tendencies that are the substance of delusion. Desire for Liberation is contrary to them. To concoct any excuse, ranging from the idea that it is too difficult to the concept that there is nothing that can be done to realize, that perpetuates or validates delusion or bondage is indulgence of the Mind. To have unbreakable reasons to be free is Desire for Liberation. Lack of self-examination is indulgence of the Mind. Similarly, pursuit of Worldly desires & diffusion during Meditation is indulgence of the Mind. Freedom from forcing the Mind along the paths of such ignorance is brought about by Desire for Liberation. The Mind's stagnation in mis–identification with the Body is "indulgence." Freedom from such comes to those who desire Liberation. Following the whims of the Ego, fabricating & clinging to the Ego's opinions, & Worldly attachment are indulgence of the Mind. The Desire for Liberation opens a different path, the way to the blissful freedom of Self-Knowledge.

The rise of the Desire for Liberation within one is the beginning of the end of the Ego & its delusions. It is the motivation for sincere spiritual practice. It is the call of the Self to itself to be awake to itself. The surging higher of the Desire for Liberation makes the further development of the other requisites possible. It causes one to develop one's practice & brings one into deeper spiritual experience. The peak of the Desire for Liberation is to want nothing else & to place none of one's effort into the creation of ignorance. With Self­-Inquiry, it causes the veil of illusion to vanish like a mirage vanishing into nothingness.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Monday, April 16, 2018

Reality 94: Desire for Liberationmumukshutva

The final & 4th Requisite for Realization is known as the intense Desire for Liberation. Sri Shankara has said, "It is the desire to free the Mind from the bonds extending from the Ego to the Body created by ajnana (Ignorance) by means of Knowledge of one's own Real Nature (svarupa), not indulgence of the Mind."

The Desire for Liberation functions as the fuel for one's spiritual practice. If all sorts of spiritual attributes are present, even the other requisites above mentioned, but there is a lack of Desire for Liberation, actual advancement, as determined by the degree of freedom from mis–identification, will be slow, if at all. If, though, the aspirant would have none of the other requisites or beneficial attributes, but was endowed with an intense Desire for Liberation; the other needed requisites & such would manifest in due course of the practice of Self­Inquiry. When the requisites are practiced fueled by the Desire for Liberation, the highest good results.

Erroneous interpretations of Non-Duality may lead one to assert that the Desire for Liberation will foster or produce a continuance of duality, for it may posit the notion of something for which to search & the seeking for it. This, though, represents an error in reasoning due to lack of direct experience, for there is no "rule" that Liberation must be conceived or treated as if an objective goal apart from oneself. Since Knowledge of the Self is alone Liberation, ignorance is entirely "self­imagined", the Self is forever non-objective, & Knowledge is One with Being, therefore, the Desire for Liberation is actually a profound recognition of what truly is one's natural state & the discernment of what is not that natural state. Understanding this results in fervently seeking within. Within is the Self. The Desire for Liberation leads one to inquire & to thus know the Self as it is, in which there is no duality whatsoever. For one who is to realize the Self, this inner, intense desire to realize & its corresponding search via Self-Inquiry represent no duality or difficulty, but rather attention is focused upon the nature of the seeker himself. When the nature of the seeker is known, revealing an utter absence of the individual & only the real Being of the Self–existing, the Desire for Liberation has been fulfilled & vanishes of its own.

The Desire for Liberation should be as intense as possible. If there is clear discrimination, all the force of the desire for Happiness that drives the person’s life while caught up in illusion becomes the intense desire for Realization alone is full satisfaction, the fulfillment & the end of the desire. The more intense the Desire for Liberation the ardently one will pursue the Self­Inquiry & the more adamant one will be about retaining the freedom found through dis–identification.

The Desire for Liberation means the desire for complete spiritual freedom. It is the indomitable intention to snap the fetters of ignorance that seem to bind one's Identity, & consequently one's experience, to what is not the Self, that is, from the very notion of an Ego, or the assumption of individuality, to the mis–identification with the form of the Body. The mis–identification is composed only of ignorance. Knowledge of the Self, which is one's own Self, & this is Knowledge being the Self alone & not any of those other things, is the destruction of ignorance & the attainment of Liberation.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through:

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Reality 93: Deep, Profound Meditationsamadhana [continued]

Samadhi is always a state of absorption, a merging or dissolution of one's Identity. In some descriptions, samadhi is classified in various ways, yet, in samadhi itself, no such classifications or the means to conceive of such exist. If the state is prompted by or is inclusive of some differentiation, such as Meditation on the whole universe being pervaded by That or the Self as the Universal Witness, it is savikalpa, that is, "with differentiation." If it is prompted by Meditation of the nature of Non–Differentiation, such as the Self & the Absolute are identical or the Self alone is & there has never come to be any objective thing whatsoever, & is an undifferentiated state, it is known as nirvikalpa, "without differentiation." Such is characterized by an absence of illusory, objective perception, inclusive of time, space, & matter. It is bodiless & without mental activity. If the absorption is so complete as to eliminate the possibility of an alternative, a samadhi of Knowledge of the Reality in which there is no such thing as an existent un-reality, the natural state of the Self as it innately is without any further effort to be applied or anyone to apply it, it is, as Ramana Maharshi stated, Sahaja Samadhi, which is the Natural, Innate, effortless State. This is Self-Realization. It could be said that savikalpa retains a unity of knower & known, the meditator at one with the ideal or object of nirvikalpais a dissolution of the knower & the known;sahajais "no creation" in which there are no such things as knower, knowing & known. The experience of all these is available for those who one-pointedly focus on the Self-Inquiry to know the Self, though the sahaja state is alone the final goal, a goal which is found to be at no distance but to be one's very Being by those who realize the Self.

Though the Absolute Self is not dependent upon any condition or state of Mind, being ever transcendent of all modes of Mind & the Mind itself, & though Self-Knowledge is thought-transcendent, or free from thought, it is extremely rare to find anyone who has realized this who has not engaged in deep, profound Meditation. Meditation should be understood as the invaluable opportunity to be awake to Reality, the chance to be with full focus on the Truth of the Self, the auspicious moment to dismantle & destroy the illusions of the Ego, & the time to turn the Mind from its own delusive creations to the clarity of understanding what is true. It is the opportunity to be with oneself, not in relation, response, or reaction to anything else, but to see clearly what one's Self actually is, free of every supposition. In the profound Knowledge that thus shines, one finds that there is truly no alternative state, & the Meditation is found to be perpetual. Meditation, as Self-Inquiry, should be practiced by the aspirant for Liberation until there is no possibility of ever being bound again & the Truth of the Self has been conclusively realized.

There are innumerable forms of Meditation. Meditation that does not have Self–Knowledge as a clear orientation will not result in Self-Knowledge. If one meditates upon worldly interactions, one may improve those transient interactions, in a changeful universe that is akin to last night's dream, to a certain extent. If one meditates upon sensations, gross or subtle, one will come to dwell temporarily in those transient sensations. If one meditates upon thought or in a thought­dependent manner, one will arrive at a corresponding mental state, which certainly cannot be Eternal. If one meditates by Self-Inquiry, the result is Self-Knowledge, or Self-Realization. That is the Non-Dual Self, upon realizing which there remains nothing more to realize, the freedom of which leaves no trace of a possibility of bondage, the perfect fullness of which leaves no dissatisfaction whatsoever, the time­lessness of which cannot be measured or terminated, the formlessness of which has no comparison or contrast, & the Reality, or Existence, of which leaves no other "existence".

The prime way of developing Meditation ability, assuming one has access to Non-Dual meditate, is to meditate. Even if there is no such access, if one ardently meditates with sincerity & the intense desire to realize, the Self-Inquiry will make itself known within, & if, one perseveres in the Self-Inquiry, the Self, which is one's true nature, will be realized.

The above themes & 2600 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through: